About Us
A volunteer movement, rooted in many places at once
Sankofa is led by volunteers who balance full-time jobs, families and travel — and who believe quality learning should reach every community. We are affiliated with IEEE Smart Village.
The name Sankofa comes from the Akan people of West Africa — a bird that turns its head backward to retrieve a precious egg. It means “go back and fetch it”: the past holds wisdom worth carrying forward.
That spirit shapes everything we do. We honour local knowledge and traditions, and use them as the foundation for STREAM learning — Science, Technology, Reading, Engineering, Art and Mathematics — taught with the resources a community already has.
Sankofa acts as a catalyst, empowering local mentors rather than replacing them. Our working group spans members from more than a dozen countries across Africa, India, Europe and the USA, organised into three groups that keep the work moving.
How we're organised
Three working groups, one mission
Curricula
Designs, reviews and field-tests lesson plans, keeping implementation and honest feedback at the centre of every idea.
Communication
Tells the story of Sankofa and its pilots, organises shared resources, and keeps the global network connected.
Implementation
Runs community surveys, supports new pilots, and turns plans into learning on the ground.
Stewardship
Guiding the initiative
Sankofa grew out of the IEEE Smart Village education community. Full volunteer profiles are being added — if you're a member, your photo and bio are welcome.
Toby Cumberbatch
Chair, ISV Education Committee
Cooper Union · USA
Ray Larsen
Co-Founder, IEEE Smart Village
Chair 2009–2019 · USA
A global network
Volunteers across the world
- Nigeria
- India
- Tanzania
- Ghana
- Kenya
- Uganda
- Zambia
- Malawi
- Cameroon
- Namibia
- South Africa
- DR Congo
- Tunisia
- Rwanda
- USA
- England
- Scotland
- Austria
- Italy